‘Cats state bound after defeating Sevier Co.

Wednesday

Mar 6, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Hardware comes with hard work.

That’s the message Oak Ridge coach Aaron Green has pushed to his team for the last nine months of workouts, summer practices and scrimmages and a gauntlet of regular season games. It paid off Monday night as Oak Ridge defeated Sevier County 61-45 in their sectional matchup and punched their ticket to the state tournament.

Robert Holder

by Robert Holder

robert.holder@oakridger.com

Hardware comes with hard work.

That’s the message Oak Ridge coach Aaron Green has pushed to his team for the last nine months of workouts, summer practices and scrimmages and a gauntlet of regular season games. It paid off Monday night as Oak Ridge defeated Sevier County 61-45 in their sectional matchup and punched their ticket to the state tournament.

“You talk about it all year and having the chance to be special,” coach Green said. “These guys have put up with me all year. It’s not easy. We’ve put in a lot of time.”

Oak Ridge (28-5) will dance at the state tournament in Murfreesboro thanks to a big second quarter run and a defensive shutdown in the fourth.

After being up just 13-12 on the Smoky Bears after the first eight minutes, Green dialed up the pressure using a 2-2-1 full-court press after watching film of the Sevier County and Scienc Hill game.

The defense allowed Rian Hall to nab back-to-back steals and earn a pair of transition baskets. On the second one, Hall was fouled but missed the free throw only to have junior Isaac Merian put in a basket on the rebound.

A 3-pointer two possessions later by Rashad Gray put the Wildcats up 24-14 and the capacity crowd went into a frenzy.

“We didn’t play perfect but we made enough stops. That run in the second quarter was key,” Green said.

Sevier County (28-6) did come back chipping away with their sharp outside shots. Cody Underwood buried a pair of 3-pointers while Weston Underwood added in another bucket to cut the lead back to 10 with 5:30 left in the third.

“We didn’t play our best,” Green said. “A lot of that had to do with Sevier County. They defended us well and we didn’t shoot it as well tonight. They were physical and battled.”

The Smoky Bears got another trey to cut it to 46-38 from Jacob Whaley, but on the ensuing possession, Cory Fagan drove baseline and found Jaylin Henderson in the opposite corner for a three that kept SCHS at bay.

“I got pushed in the backstop but it was worth it because he knocked it down,” Fagan said. “It hurt, but it was worth it.”

The Oak Ridge defense went into full gear from there holding Sevier County without a made basket for the first 4:30 of the fourth quarter while scoring 10 points including 5-of-6 shooting at the free-throw line.

“I told our guys to keep our head and lockup on defense in the second half,” Henderson said.

“That just shows we can handle adversity,” Fagan added. “Everyone that gets in the game can contribute in the game.”

The Wildcats didn’t take any chances after that. Oak Ridge drained 1:40 off the clock in one of their final two possessions.

Henderson led all scorers with 20 points. He had 11 in the first half. Gray had 11 and Fagan had 10.

Merian and Hall had nine each.

“Every rebound, every shot, every steal was important for us to win,” Merian said.

Cody Underwood led Sevier County with 10 points. Logan McCarter had nine and Jacob Whaley had 10.

The team celebrated the win by cutting down the nets at Wildcat Arena as the Oak Ridge student section flooded the court for the second game in a week.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Merian said.

“It feels real good to get to state,” added Henderson. “We are playing real big on the court. “I have never really made it this far.”

“It’s an awesome feeling,” said Gray. “Amazing.”

Oak Ridge now awaits the state drawing on Saturday. The Wildcats will be joined at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center by Maryville, Siegel, Blackman, Hillsboro, Brentwood, Dyer County and Southwind. The drawing is at 11 a.m EST.

“I am glad our kids get a chance to experience Murphy Center,” coach Green said. “Some of the most special times I had as an athlete were playing in the state tournament in high school. I wish every athlete could experience it.”

Maryville defeated Science Hill in Johnson City 60-59 in overtime. Memphis Southwind defeated Craigmont 95-36. Murfreesboro schools Siegel and Blackman will be on opposite ends of the bracket since they are in the same district, per TSSAA rules.

The Class AAA quarterfinal games begin at 11 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. EST. Tickets for the game are $10 per person and $12 for the finals. The Class AAA final will be at 3 p.m. EST (2 p.m. CST) on Saturday, March 16.

The BlueCross Basketball Championships run March 13-16. For a full schedule see the TSSAA website, tssaa.org.

Charter bus signups

For fans wanting to go to the game, a charter bus trip has already been purchased. The Wildcat faithful can signup by calling Tina Trent at (865) 661-6079. The cost is $20 and does not include the price of admission to the game.

The bus has 47 seats available and is first-come, first-serve. The deadline to signup is by 6 p.m. this Monday, March 11.

A school bus for students going to the ‘Boro’ will also be available through the school.